Trojans qualify 17 events for state

ORIGINALLY WRITTEN DON RATZLAFF
The Hillsboro track team qualified 17 events involving 16 athletes and the boys easily won the team title at the Class 3A regional meet at Cheney, May 18.


Senior Scott Winter qualified in all three of his throwing events. He won the discus with a throw of 150-10 and finished third in the shot put with a mark of 49-111/2 and in the javelin with a toss of 158-10.


At the other end of the age spectrum, freshman Aaron Yoder also qualified for three events at the state championships. He won the 1,600 meters in a time of 4:37.8, earned one of two at-large openings in the 3,200 meters by finishing fourth in 10:32.3.


He also ran on the 4×800 relay team that finished second in a school record time of 8:16.2. He was joined by Adam Jilka, Daniel Yoder and Garrett Call. Their time beat by one second the record set by Chris Novak, Ian Weisbeck, Mitch Goossen and Tim Hodge in 1995.


Call, also a senior, will compete in three events as well. In addition to a spot on the 4×800, he qualified in the 800 meters by finishing second in a career-best 2:01.0 and second in the 1,600 meters in 4:38.6.


Pete Richert was the third Trojan to qualify in the 1,600 meters, finishing fourth in a time of 4:41.1, which earned him one of two at-large openings.


The big winners, though, were senior Ryan Jilka and sophomore Alan Yoder, each of whom captured a pair of individual titles. Jilka won the 110-meter high hurdles in 14.6 seconds and the 300-meter intermediate hurdles in 39.3 seconds.


Alan Yoder, meanwhile, broke the tape in the 100 meters in 11.0 seconds to tie the school record he set earlier this season, He also won the long jump by leaping of 21-11/2 on his first attempt of the afternoon.


Yoder caught a break in the 100 meters when Banks Floodman of Collegiate, who beat Yoder last week in the MCAA meet, was disqualified with a false start in the preliminaries.


Last but certainly not least, Sheldon Funk qualified for state by finishing second in the pole vault. He cleared 14-0, which broke the school record of 13-7 he set earlier this season.


Funk’s record vault equaled the winning height, but Funk finished second by virtue of missed attempts during the competition.


“I thought the effort of the day came from Sheldon Funk,” said head coach Dennis Boldt. “He had the top four vaulters (in Class 3A) with him. He really rose to the occasion.”


Boldt said his only real disappointment on the day was that his 4×100 team of Ross Duerksen, Phillip Terrell, Alan Yoder and Ryan Jilka didn’t qualify for state, finishing fifth.


“They really ran well and I’m torn up that they didn’t make it,” he said. “I’d give that (team) trophy back to get Ross and Phillip in at state.”


As a team, the boys rolled up 123 points to outdistance second-place Holcomb with 70 points in the 14-team field.


Andrea Peachey, Shannon Kroeker and Trista Hanley were the only Trojan girls to qualify in individual events.


Peachey was just nipped at the tape by her chief rival all season, Alexis Soller of Hesston, in the 100-meter high hurdles. Both finished in a time of 15.3 seconds.


Kroeker finished second in the 800 meters in a personal-best 2:23.7, just over one second off the school record.


Hanley qualified in the shot put with a toss of 33-7. “Trista has done well this year, but she really stepped up to get third,” Boldt said.


The Trojans qualified two of their three relay teams. The 4×400 squad of Jessica Boese, Alisa Jost, Julie Hett and Kroeker placed third with a time of 4:14.6.


The 4×800 team of Hett, Katie Fast, Alisa Jost and Kroeker qualified with a fourth-place time of 10.03.7. They might have set a school record except for a bobbled handoff between Fast and Jost.


Cheryl Prieb did not place in a tough pole vaulting field, but tied her school record by clearing 7-6.


As a team, the girls finished sixth with 34 points-exactly 100 points behind the team winner, Conway Springs.

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